Costa Mesa Sanitary District will proceed with an environmental review as the next step.

The program, if implemented, would come at the expense of what many Costa Mesans have enjoyed for years: the relative ease of putting all their trash in one bin and not sorting it.

Under the six-year contract with CR&R Environmental Services, the district would provide all households with a 64-gallon bin for collecting organics, such as food scraps and plant material. A second bin would be provided for trash and recyclables.

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Both would be picked up on the same day but by different trucks.

The organics would end up at an under-construction CR&R anaerobic waste facility in Perris, which would convert the materials into renewable natural gas.

General Manager Scott Carroll said Thursday that the program would cost $504,679 a year to implement — up from the $487,416 a year listed on a staff report.

How the program would affect rates isn't yet clear, though a roughly $4-million district fund may not only help start things up but also keep rates stable for the next five years, district officials said.

After that, households could see an increase in their rates, unless the board decides to implement small increases over the next several years to avoid a spike.

Carroll said the program is designed to produce zero waste and reduce what's sent to landfills in accordance with a state law enacted in 2011.

"We want to be on the front line when those new regulations come into effect," Carroll said. "We want to be proactive rather than reactive."

Sanitary District President James Ferryman said, "The rules change. We gotta do something, and let's do the right thing."

District engineer Robin Hamers said the environmental review — done in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act — would begin immediately. He plans to soon consult with Costa Mesa officials.

"I think it would be very important for us to be the first ... in anaerobic digestion," Hamers said.

The review, including a 30-day public notice period, could take up to 60 days.

Representatives from CR&R, which made a presentation about the anaerobic process during Thursday's meeting, described it as expensive yet innovative and environmentally friendly in its reduction of greenhouse gases.

They said their Perris facility may open by October and, after testing, be usable by January 2015.